Dinner At Takano's
by Tentai.t
Summary: Takes place after Ritsu collapses at work and is made to eat a meal a day with Takano.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone. My name is is Tentai.t and I am a SIH/JR addict. (Hi Tentai.t…) **

**This is my first fanfiction story ever written. It was a very persistent horny rabbit (a.k.a. plot bunny) that was just dying to get out, so I caught it by the ears and now, present it to you. **

**Rated M for profanity and adult sexual content/situations. So if you aren't 18 yet, wait a couple years ;) Hope you all like it! **

**A very, very special thanks to Cerberus Revised for being the brawn to my scrawny story. You and your writing are what got me into this rabbit hole in the first place.**

**Oh and also to Procrastination, because in an oxymoronic way, it helps me get my shit done.**

**Characters of SekaiIchi Hatsukoi are property of Nakamura Shungiku.**

**This story takes place after Onodera collapses from overwork and is made to eat a meal a day with Takano.**

**Dinner at Takano's**

By Tentai.t

December 3, 2013

**Chapter One: Appetizer**

It was a Friday, the middle of the cycle, and things had been getting crazy again at Emerald.

The end of the day found a weary Takano and Onodera walking home, side by side from the train station. Onodera was too wrung out to even complain about how closely Takano pressed beside him, especially since the sidewalk wasn't all that crowded.

Takano cast a sideways glance at his junior. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Eh? I brought stuff with me to work on."

Golden eyes narrowed at this response. "You can do it after dinner. A meal a day, remember?

"So, I'm asking you again. What would you like for dinner? Do you want to go out? It's not too late to get stuff from the convenience store and make something simple."

Onodera sighed, knowing any real resistance was futile.

_Takano's just going to steamroller me into agreeing, anyways._

"Whatever you want is fine."

A wave of relief rolled over Onodera when this answer drew a quick nod and Takano's keen gaze shifted again to the sidewalk in front of them.

"OK. Tonight, I'm teaching you how to make spaghetti."

Knowing his cupboards, Takano steered them into the nearest convenience store to pick up the essentials: pasta, a can of tomato sauce, a small pack of ground beef, two tomatoes, a small onion, garlic, a packet of spices, bread, and pre-made salad.

Staples secured in his basket, Takano walked over to where the alcohol was carried, brow furrowed as he decided between wine or sake. Looking over his shoulder, he glimpsed Onodera browsing the magazine section. This image brought back a flash memory from high school, Onodera lurking between the racks.

In addition to memory, other wheels in Takano's tired brain began to turn and an idea seized him. Going for the gold, he reached for the red wine.

Minutes later all items gathered, Onodera joined him at the cashier's. As Ritsu started to reach for his wallet, Takano stopped him.

"My treat. Besides, I'm putting you to work tonight. Everyone should know how to make a decent plate of spaghetti."

Onodera frowned and looked as though he was about to have one of his outbursts for only a moment, before huffing another beleaguered sigh and sticking his hands in his pockets. Takano was hard pressed not give into the grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth at this quickly stifled resistance.

_Finally you're learning. It's a small victory, but it's progress._

Back at his apartment, after laying out all the supplies, Takano took out a small wok and turned the heat on the stove to _high_.

He glanced over to his green-eyed assistant chef, imagining how cute Ritsu would look in an apron and sighed, knowing that there was no way in hell he'd be able to cajole the younger man into one.

"Ritsu, you have to brown the beef before you add anything to it or else it won't brown right."

Skeptical eyes shifted from the skillet to Takano. "And you know this because?"

A grunt of annoyance escaped Takano, wounded that Ritsu had no confidence in his cooking skills, not that he'd given any real previous demonstration of his culinary abilities.

"I read. A lot. Come here and grab the spatula."

Onodera reached for the spatula and with Takano's brusque tutelage, soon set to his task to break up the meat and move it around the wok with the same intensity that he approached his work at Emerald. After few minutes, once the beef began to sizzle and spit, he glanced over at Takano, cheeks pinking.

"This is one of my good shirts. Do you have an apron, Takano-san?"

Takano smiled to himself. _I guess I get to see him in an apron tonight after all… And I didn't even have to ask_.

"Yeah, it's hanging behind the fridge."

Throwing a dishtowel over his shoulder, Takano shifted his stance so he could watch Ritsu don the apron without being obvious. Between eyefuls of an aproned-junior-editor, Takano used his santoku knife to peel the garlic cloves and mince them, one hand on the dull side of the knife and the other on the handle.

_Chop, chop, chop, slide…_

Now adequately outfitted, Onodera felt his eyes pulled from his pan by the sound of the cutting and noticed that Takano was actually handling his knife quite skillfully. He couldn't help but admire how adept he was.

After putting the garlic on a small plate, Takano grabbed for the onion.

"Oi, I have a way to cut the onion so it doesn't make you cry."

Onodera couldn't pretend he wasn't interested in this feat: he was keen on anything that helped him cry less in front of his old senpai. He watched carefully as Takano sliced the top and bottom off of the onion and, standing it upright, made one slice down the middle. Takano threw the ends and outermost peels of both halves into the sink.

"The secret is to keep the onion together as much as you can when chopping them, and keeping those," Takano gestured with the knife toward the sink, "away from you."

"Look…" Starting off with at the end of one half, he made a slice and thrust out his index finger to steady it. Continuing on until he reached the end, he turned the onion and made crosswise slices down to the middle, then flipped the remaining quarter on its other side to finish it off.

"Look Ma, no tears. Now you try it." Takano set his knife aside and took a few steps in his small kitchen before reaching around Ritsu to turn the meat down to medium high.

Onodera slid out from under Takano's open embrace over to the cutting board. He picked up the knife and shot a doubtful glance back.

_Surely, it can't be that hard_.

"Hey, curl your fingers in. I'd appreciate not having any fingernails in my food, thank you."

Onodera frowned at the critique.

_Ass_…

Then he tried again, curling his fingers in while remembering to keep the slices from falling apart. Finishing the task, he smiled to himself.

_Well, that wasn't bad at all_.

Takano watched the maneuver with keen eyes as he absently moved the meat around; it had started to brown and the liquid was almost dry. He left the pan for a moment to allow the oils to simmer.

"So when you're done browning the meat, you have to drain the saturated fats with a strainer."

"Why do you have to do that?"

"Well, if you want to keep your hard ons when you get older, you'd better. Otherwise, you'll need to start taking blood pressure pills and-"

"How in _hell_ do you know that?!"

Takano was pleased with Onodera's shocked look, but he suddenly found himself wondering if mentioning 'hard ons', while his reluctant lover was holding a knife was such a wise idea. Rather than give his brunet spitfire any ideas, he turned his attention back to the wok.

"Like I said… I read… A lot. Get with the program. You're starting to sound like a broken record.

"Bottom line, we'll use olive oil for sautéing. It's healthier. Besides…" Takano smirked, too enticed by an aproned Onodera to play things entirely safe, "I gotta try to keep this body sexy for you."

Ignoring the indignant huff he received in response, Takano turned off the meat and reached down for the strainer and a pot for the pasta to boil in.

"Here, start the pasta, will you?" As he poured the beef into the strainer, Takano used the spatula to press out the remaining oil.

Relieved that Takano was busy fiddling with meat other than his, Onodera took the pot that had been set on the counter for him and stepped over to the sink. After he'd filled it about half way with water, he moved it to the range and set a burner on _high_.

"Cover that, it'll boil faster." Takano growled. "Save energy, save the Earth, yadayadaya." He shifted the wok back to the stove and turned the burner back on to medium high.

"Here," Takano handed the spatula back to Ritsu and indicated the beef and all the chopped spices. "Show me what you got."

"But I don't know how."

Suddenly Ritsu was suffering from flashbacks of his early days at Emerald: knowing that he was expected to do something without any really clear idea of what that "something" was. He felt his cheeks grow hot, and not just because the small kitchen was growing increasingly warm.

"Don't worry, I got your back."

Takano wiped his hands with the dishtowel and then threw it back over his shoulder. The accessory gave him a domestic air; one, Onodera realized with dismay, was also hotter than the kitchen.

He turned away with a new blush.

If Takano noticed, he spared Ritsu's comment, saying instead, "Start with the olive oil, then the garlic, then the onions, then the beef. Go on."

Onodera did exactly as advised, making sure to control the spatula, careful that it didn't spill any of the ingredients over the side of the wok. He allowed Takano to show him how much of the other spices were needed.

"Spice the meat before you add any liquids so that the flavors stick. Salt, pepper, this Italian seasoning, and a little sugar to cut the acid in the tomato sauce."

The two men stood there watching the wok, the smells of the mix filling the air. Ritsu was thinking about how much hungrier he had been than he'd realized, when Takano's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Oi, get the tomato sauce open and pour it in while I chop the tomatoes."

_Why does this feel so familiar, Takano bossing me around?_ Onodera snorted lightly at how much their actions in the kitchen were mirroring their dynamics at work. Still, he did as he was told.

"What do we do now?"

"We cover it and let it simmer while we boil the pasta. The goal in cooking is having everything get done at the same time.

"We're going to preheat the oven now, too, for the garlic bread. Here, set the oven to 375 degrees F. There's a pan in the drawer under the oven that you can use."

Takano watched as Onodera set the oven. He couldn't help but admire the curve of Ritsu's ass, set off by the apron ties, as the younger man bent to retrieve the pan.

_We really should cook together more often._

Hiding his desire, Takano instead moved over beside Ritsu and, after slicing up the fresh loaf from the store, showed him how to butter the bread on both sides and sprinkle the slices with garlic powder, salt and parsley. After doing a few pieces in example, he turned the rest over to Onodera to do the same.

Takano cocked his head slightly, seeing the look Onodera was giving him. He raised a brow in question.

Onodera lifted the spice bottle that had miraculously appeared from one of the editor's cupboards. "You have parsley?"

"Yeah? So?"

Onodera's voice was incredulous. "Why? That's like the most useless herb there is."

"It makes the bread look good," Takano said, as if this sounded reasonable enough to satisfactorily answer the question.

Onodera grumbled, annoyed that Takano could still surprise him, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're probably a closet _'The Kan'_ freak."

"Tsk." Takano snorted, though secretly he was pleased. "I have it because I knew that I was going to be feeding you a meal a day, so, I stocked up on spices. We'll have to do some more concentrated grocery shopping together later. Yes? "

Ritsu was appalled that Takano would alter his cupboards for him, it spoke of a level of care he didn't want to acknowledge.

"I can take care of myself, you know."

"Apparently not." Takano snorted again. His eyes grew sharp in case Ritsu decided to revolt so early into this new regime. "Besides, you have to admit, it's a little fun cooking together. Neh?"

He turned and moved before Ritsu could truly go off, and opened the oven door, placing the tray with the garlic bread mid-rack.

Hearing the "_hmph_," beside him, Takano looked up. "Your water's boiling almost as much as you are right now, Ritsu."

He cracked a wicked grin at the new heat flooding Onodera's cheeks at this comment.

"Put a little oil and a little salt into the water before you add the pasta. Then stand the noodles straight up from the pot and release them so they cascade. Hurry up…"

Takano realized that he shouldn't have flustered Ritsu so much when the young man grabbed the pot lid without caution and pushed it aside.

"Oi! Careful you're going to burn yourself!"

_Too late._

A pained hiss escaped from between Onodera's teeth as he quickly pulled his hand back, dropping the lid to the stovetop. Hand red from the steam, Ritsu stumbled to the sink and twisted the tap, dowsing his scalded flesh with cold water.

Takano looked on with concern, allowing Onodera a moment to gather himself before he stepped over and turned the water off.

"Let me see. Are you ok?" Gently, Takano lifted Ritsu's hand from the sink and inspected it. Seeing that it was ok and not going to blister, he raised the still-pink palm to his lips.

When Ritsu realized what Takano was about to do, he snatched his hand back before he could kiss it.

"It's alright, I'm not a baby!" The scowl on his face however, was actually more from the pain than Takano's sappy antics.

_Damn, that hurt_.

"You sure you're ok? I can take over from here if you'd like."

Seeing Ritsu's reluctant nod, Takano stirred in the pasta and then agitated the simmering sauce.

While he allowed the noodles and sauce to cook he moved over to the cupboard and pulled out the plates and wine glasses to set the table. Next, smaller plates were pulled out and the salad arranged atop them. A drawer was opened once the salads were finished and the meal's utensils selected.

"Pick out a salad dressing, they're in the fridge door."

Onodera untied his apron and pulled it off over his tumbled brown head. His hand was still stinging as he opened the fridge. Takano took another appreciative sideways glance at Onodera's fine ass as the younger man bent down to make his choice.

"Takano-san, ranch ok with you?"

After a swallow and a cough, came the strained '_Uhuh_.'

Takano shifted his hungry gaze back to his pots and checked the pasta. He lifted a steaming strand and bit the noodle's end.

_Halfway done. _

"The pasta should feel just a little bit softer than this. When you bite into it, it should stick to the teeth." Takano stepped over to his now-straightened kouhai and fed one end of the noodle to warm pink lips. He was hard pressed not to lick his own as he watched the noodle disappear, sucked into Ritsu's delicious mouth.

"Then, we'll drain the noodles and drizzle them with olive oil. Never rinse it with water or the sauce won't stick." After another quick stir of the sauce and the pasta, Takano walked out of the kitchen to the genkan to pull some of his emergency candles out of his earthquake kit.

Onodera stepped out from the kitchen as well and eyed the long cylindrical candle with apprehension.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Ambience."

Ritsu's head jerked is surprise and his emerald eyes sparked. "What the hell for?!"

"Oh, just quit your yapping." Takano grabbed a second candle and moved back into the room. He set these on the table.

Ritsu shook his head: things were starting to look appallingly romantic. "I'm going the fuck home!"

As he stormed past the table, Takano grabbed him by one wrist.

"Wait, stay. Come on, we've never gone out on a proper date and I know you're hungry because I didn't see you eat lunch earlier.

"Stay. Dinner's almost ready."

Ritsu forced himself not to look at Takano, knowing how those golden eyes held him. While the man hadn't said "please" his tone hadn't been harsh, in fact, it had almost been…

_Plaintive?_

"There'd better not be any funny business." Ritsu knew he was on a slippery slope and could find his feet out from under him at any moment if he stayed.

His worst fears were confirmed when Takano released his wrist and murmured quietly, "I can't promise that."

He watched as Takano moved with the grace of a big cat into the kitchen and pulled open the oven door. "Bread's ready."

The aroma of the garlic bread that wafted out of the oven and filled the apartment hit Onodera at that moment as hard as any Saga-senpai pheromones ever had.

_Oh, shit._

His stomach rumbled, letting him know he'd never be forgiven if he left the apartment now.

Fine, I'll stay.

**There are two more chapters to this fic. I was hoping to make it a one-shot but the bunny ended up being a were-rabbit. Who knows, maybe if you leave some review-carrots around it'll end up getting a mate and have cute little plot bunnies running amok. Love it or flame it, I'd still want to hear from you. Thanks, all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**On to the main course… Anyone hungry yet?**

**Rated M for profanity and adult sexual content/situations. So if you aren't 18 yet, this'll be something to look forward to…**

**Maraming, maraming salamat to Cerberus Revised for running his magical hands through this story. Without you, I'd probably be crying in a corner with a dunce cap on my head.**

**To Procrastination, my persistent motivator, what would I do without you?**

**Characters of SekaiIchi Hatsukoi are property of Nakamura Shungiku.**

**Dinner at Takano's**

**Chapter Two: Main course**

Table set, candles lit, food dished up, the two men ate in silence.

The spaghetti, pretty good in its simplicity, was perfectly cooked; the bread, crusty and the salad, crisp. Takano poured the wine. The candlelight flickered in the dim room; the glow reflected off the ruby shine of the full wineglasses.

Onodera narrowed his eyes as Takano added a bit more wine to his glass. "Remember, I said no funny business."

Takano blinked as if in surprise and did his best to look wounded. "What's one glass with dinner? You have better tolerance than that, right? Loosen up some."

Onodera took his glass and gave a hesitant sniff; it smelled really good, full-bodied and fruity. He took a hesitant sip before dropping his eyes back down to his plate.

_One glass. That's it._

Takano watched from his side of the table before taking a sip himself and then returning to his salad. Ritsu's eyes stayed fixed on his plate. A few more bites, and the new quiet seemed deafening.

Being the polite gentleman he was brought up to be, Onodera felt the urge to say something, start a conversation. After all the food was really good and Takano was a busy man to give up so much time, even for a meal as 'simple' as this.

"So, how is it that you know so much about cooking, Takano-san?" Ritsu glanced up at last and then realized he really was curious to know.

"Growing up at my house it was either that or starve to death." At the raised eyebrow, Takano added, "At college, I went out a lot, so most of my allowance went to drinking and cigarettes. And we both know those don't come cheap. I even tried dating girls to get a decent meal more than once.

"Have you gone out with girls, Ritsu?" Takano's expression was unusually earnest. "I mean, outside of An-san?"

"Yeah, but it didn't turn out well." Ritsu wondered where this honesty came from.

_I've only had one sip of wine so far._

Taking his glass of wine, Takano ventured another swallow and then cautiously asked, "How were you after you left me in my room that day?"

Not getting a reply, he continued with an uneasy chuckle, "I needed an ice pack for my face, you know. You kicked me a good one. I was so confused. I didn't know what happened."

"I tried calling you but you wouldn't pick up. I considered chasing after you but I didn't know where you lived. " Takano dropped his eyes down at his lowered glass and ran his finger along its rim.

"I kept trying to convince myself that you'd be in the library the next day and I could say sorry for whatever the hell I did wrong.

"After you'd disappeared, I tried coming over to your floor and asked around your batch mates for an 'Oda,' but no one knew who you were. So, I started asking around for a 'Ritsu' instead and they said that Ritsu had gone to continue studies in England."

Takano shook his dark head, "I kept thinking 'Nah, that couldn't be you. How could you have left on such short notice? It was the middle of the school year.'"

Onodera was stunned by this plain confession. There was a part of him that wanted to immediately accuse Takano of this being a new and devious sort of 'funny business' and storm out. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Takano's tone was too honest.

So, instead, he picked at his spaghetti silently, and then picked up his glass. The warm wine went down smoothly. Without looking up, he formed the words to his response slowly. "I became a bit of a recluse in high school when I was away."

_Not that I was all that social here either._

"I spent a lot of time in the in the library there too because it was hard hanging out with others when they were always stumbling over my accent.

"Heh. How ironic, huh? I was trying to forget you, and yet, the one thing that we'd had in common was the one thing I turned to."

Takano watched Ritsu toy uncomfortably with his emptier wine glass a moment before he returned to his earlier question again. "How'd you get out of the country so fast, Ritsu?"

Green eyes glanced up for a moment before darting away. Ritsu's cheeks became rosy, from either his discomfort or the alcohol's quick effect on his systems.

"There was an exchange student program that I'd qualified for earlier that year and my mother kept trying to get me to go for it. I had been brushing it off until the 'opportunity' seemed perfect."

Takano cocked his head in surprise. "You never told me this."

"You never asked," Ritsu murmured.

Taking another sip of his wine, Takano pushed gently, "Go on."

"What do you want to know?" Ritsu took another deep draught of wine to bolster himself, but he couldn't bring himself to look at Takano right now, even so.

"It was past the deadline but my mom pulled some strings. I got to go two days after that day in your room." Ritsu pushed his glass away and put his hands in his lap. "The school functioned on a quarterly system; I stayed with a host family for a few weeks until the new quarter started."

Takano took a deep breath, now having one more reason to dislike Ritsu's mother. Then seeing how uncomfortable his junior was he growled, "Keep eating. The food is getting cold."

After a couple more bites and a few more sips of wine, and Takano felt ready to start the conversation up again.

"That is kind of ironic, Ritsu, because I stopped hanging out in the library to go looking for you after school. I even went to the other schools to check if you'd transferred." Another strained chuckle, "I felt like a stalker…"

Onodera rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself. "Yeah, kind of funny thinking of you as being a creepy teenage stalker," He picked up a bit of the beef he'd pushed to the side before hesitantly asking.

"So, you dated girls after us then, Takano-san?"

Takano looked down at the glass in his hand, he studied the crimson ripples as he swirled it.

"I think I was unconsciously trying to find you in the people I dated, female or male. Then, it would just turn me the fuck off when they didn't have the right eye color, or if their hair wasn't the right hairstyle or if they didn't blush enough. Crazy shit like that.

"I knew then that I'd seriously fucked up, you know." He took a quick swig of his glass, finishing it off, before he continued. "Ten years…"

"For ten years, I'd kept dreaming of you and it would just _piss_ me off to wake up."

In front of him, Onodera's shoulders slumped. "Why were you holding on so much, Takano-san? Anyone would've dated you, you know. You aren't bad on the eyes."

Raising an eyebrow a quick smirk formed on Takano's face. "Ahh, so this face pleases you then?"

At this comment the fire returned to Ritsu's posture. He straightened and looked up, meeting Takano's eyes evenly.

"I already told you, I didn't follow you around for your face."

"What was it then?" Takano's voice was cool but curious, then his tone shifted back into that particular style of sarcasm that infuriated Ritsu. "Because I _know_ it wasn't my stellar personality."

"Quit it, Takano-san. You're not getting a confession out of me." Exasperated, Ritsu grabbed his glass and downed the rest of its contents, trying to wash down his irritation along with the wine.

Takano leaned over and smoothly picked up the bottle, pouring more wine into both their glasses.

"Well, I am not so leery of confessions," Takano challenged. "I loved you for loving me in a time when I didn't feel cherished at all. You were the one thing I looked forward to when all the shit around me was starting to hit the fan."

Ritsu again, was taken aback by his old senpai's plain words_. _

_Shit. What do I say to that?_

He bowed his head. "I'm sorry for what you had to go through, Takano-san."

Onodera started when a single long finger caught his lowered chin and lifted it up. Takano's golden eyes burned with an intensity far brighter than the candles illuminating their table.

"And I'm sorry for being such an asshole in high school, Ritsu. If I wasn't trying to be all cool, I could've saved us both so much trouble."

Takano withdrew his hand, but Onodera's chin stayed up. He inhaled deeply through his nose, drawing in some courage so he could press back more than he had dared for a long time.

"How can you tell me all of this without any qualms about revealing too much?" Ritsu frowned. "Don't you have a bit of self-preservation left in you, Takano-san?"

Takano stared back; his voice had become earnest again. "I promised you that I'd answer anything you'd ask of me. And I still want to know everything about you.

"It's just so hard getting you to open up to me without getting you a little drunk first, I thought I'd try some truth along with the wine.

"Besides, if we don't get this shit out in the open, it's just going to keep coming up to bother us." Takano picked up his bread and wiped up some of the now-cool sauce off his plate.

Watching the bread disappear into Takano's marvelous mouth, the tight motions of his angular jaw as he chewed, Onodera closed his eyes. His cheeks already rosy from the wine, pinked further.

_The truth huh? _Something fluttered in warning in Onodera's chest, but the wine made him feel bold. _Ah, to hell with it_.

"I kept thinking that I didn't want to get played like that again." Ritsu admitted at last with a sigh.

"But I was more mad at myself than at you, Takano-san. Hell, I was a boy and I was supposed to be dating girls. But there was something off, like trying to _fit_ into something that was too small or too big: it just didn't feel right. It frustrated me and so I stopped trying not long after.

"Instead, I just told everyone that I was engaged to An-chan. It worked. Or at least, it seemed to…"

Now it was Takano's turn to sigh. He took a long sip of his wine to wash down the last of the bread and the sudden surge of painful memories.

"I found out about your engagement after I thought I had gotten over you. I was in college then and I just stopped going to classes and ended up getting drunk all over again.

"If it weren't for Yokozawa, I probably would've been dead a long time ago."

Takano mouth curled up on one side seeing Onodera's expression shift at the mention of the sales manager's name.

"He can be an ass, Ritsu, I know… But Yokozawa picked me up whenever I was lost in a drunken stupor somewhere. I even went to the lengths of deleting all my cell phone contacts and only keeping his; I was so mad at the world."

Golden eyes looked up. "He kept me alive. And if that means getting the chance to be able to make this spaghetti with you now, after all that, then, I guess I owe him a lot."

Onodera shook his head, a wondering expression on his face as he stared back. "But Yokozawa-san was _right_ there. Why didn't you just end up dating him? He told me himself that you were _his_."

"I don't know." Takano rubbed the back of neck as he searched the emerald eyes before him. "Yokozawa was a good friend, but he… He wasn't… you."

Ritsu stared dumbfounded by these words. He watched silently as Takano shot him an uncomfortable grin and stood up. He remained quiet as he watched Takano pick up his plates and walk over to the sink.

Takano set his things in the basin and then and turned around leaning against on the counter.

"How was the spaghetti? Did you like it?"

_How the hell can you just shift gears like that?_

However, Ritsu really didn't want to continue down this particular line of conversation any more, either. Instead, done as well, he gathered up his dishes too and walked over to set his things in the sink on top of Takano's.

"Yes, thanks, Takano-san. It was good."

Looking at his long-lost and now-found love, rather than grabbing Ritsu and forcing a kiss on his wine-stained lips, Takano slid carefully down the counter a bit closer, his approach decidedly more restrained. His mind flashed back to Ritsu sticking his hands in his pockets at the market.

_Maybe Ritsu's not the only one learning to give in a little._

Reaching over, Takano placed his hand lightly on Onodera's upper arm. "Thank you for having dinner with me."

Onodera's eyes moved down to the dirty dishes though the rest of him didn't pull away.

"I enjoyed… making it with you, Takano-san."

Slowly Takano raised both palms on either side of his kouhai's jaw, lifting Ritsu's face up, mesmerized with how he looked in the soft glow of the candlelight.

Onodera kept his eyes open this time, his spring green gaze catching fire, when it met the golden, summer-baked fields of Takano's eyes. Ritsu suddenly felt his heart beating in his throat against Takano's hands, strong and steady, in sweet anticipation.

**Thanks for the reviews everyone. I love you all. Yes, even you, my shy mystery reader. I love you, too. **

**Now who wants some lemonade? I dooo!**

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	3. Chapter 3

Dinner at Takano's by Tentai.t 9

**Order up! Hope this lemon tops your glass, however tall it may come…**

**Rated M for profanity and adult sexual content/situations. So if you aren't 18 yet, don't worry, I won't tell a soul ;) Hope you all like it! **

**To anyone who doesn't know who Cerberus Revised and The Black Flamingo 101 are yet, they are my idols; without their help, this citrusy tale would not have come to fruition. If you really liked it, leave them a note, too. We could all share the love, ne?**

**Characters of SekaiIchi Hatsukoi are property of Nakamura Shungiku.**

**Dinner At Takano's**

**Chapter Three: Dessert**

Slowly, Takano lowered his head, brushing his lips against one of Ritsu's pink cheeks, lifting it again only to graze Onodera's soft eyebrows, then lowering once more to sweep over the other cheek as well.

Then his mouth moved down as he softly placed his lips against Onodera's, with a feather's lightness, before pulling back slightly. Takano hesitated, as if asking for permission.

Maybe it was how tender Takano's opening kiss was, or having discovered new things about the man kissing him, or maybe it was the wine, but Onodera found himself returning the affection, pushing in closer to breathe in Takano's scent, running his hands through thick, black hair. He responded, leaning his head to the side, the tip of his tongue caressing his senpai's bottom lip.

Taking courage at Takano's new restraint, Ritsu opened his lips to slip his tongue into Takano's waiting mouth, tasting wine and the spaghetti sauce's spices, and finding these not at all displeasing.

At the first brush of Ritsu's tongue against his own, with a moan, Takano dropped his hands and pulled his beloved closer, embracing his lower back. In this low-slung embrace, moving in the pattern of a slow dance, Takano navigated his apartment backwards, stepping them into the bedroom.

Once they were standing at the foot of his futon, there were no hurried tugging on clothes, no ripping garments off either, just slow languid kisses on necks, slippery nips on earlobes, and soft, shared sighs.

Backing Onodera onto the bed, Takano gently held the lean body in his arms. He refused to release Ritsu from his attentions, even when he reached over to turn on the small bedside lamp to brighten the dark room.

As they both settled and shifted to lie on their sides, Takano's slow hands massaged Ritsu's shoulders, running down his clothed back. He broke off his kisses to tangle fingers in Onodera's hair.

"You always did have the softest hair."

Brushing Ritsu's bangs off his face and tucking a wayward lock behind a pink ear, Takano nuzzled his lover's temple and breathed in deeply.

Onodera released a sigh.

_I'm so drawn in… I can't stop_.

With Ritsu's eyes closed tight, blind fingers found and pushed Takano's shoulder down, grasping at his nape, pulling him in for a deep kiss, his tongue searched the sweet wet warmth of an eager but cautious mouth.

Takano felt Onodera letting go. Even so, he reminded himself that he had to take things slowly, lest he scare him away again. So, like a good boy, he kissed Ritsu back, but kept his hands from pushing or pulling.

_Oh, let the sweet torture begin_.

Ritsu tentatively kissed Takano's cheek; he trailed a coy tongue along the shell of an ear. He smiled internally, hearing the older man's sharp intake of breath.

_Takano-san's always doing this to me. Let him have a taste of his own medicine_.

Then, moved to new bravery by Takano's response, Ritsu tried out something new. Dipping the tip of his tongue into Takano's ear, he gave a warm, soft exhale; his mouth shifted down and he sucked the lobe within his lips, teasing it between his teeth.

Takano eyes closed as he let out another shivering breath, feeling goose bumps run down his arms. He couldn't help but expose his neck more to Onodera's exploring lips.

Ritsu's fingers slid down to graze the ebony tendrils on Takano's nape. Then they slipped down and around and closed in on the top button of Takano's shirt. After releasing this, his eager tongue used this new access to caress the dip between Takano's collarbones.

Further down, beneath the barrier of Takano's shirt, Onodera's fingers brushed against a hard nipple. Looking up, he saw Takano with his eyes still shut, lips pressed in a thin line between his teeth. Captivated by this sight, Ritsu lowered his lips on the tight bud and, through the cloth, let out hot breath. Then slowly, he moved over and licked the hardened bud, allowing the moisture to seep through Takano's light work shirt, before nipping the responsive nipple with his teeth through the fabric.

"Enough…" Takano growled, pulling his newly awakened, sensual sadist upwards.

But Onodera's hands moved on their own accord. They drifted up after the rest of him, soon holding Takano's face. Ritsu's hands kept Takano's mouth in place, as he kissed him with all his fervent wanting.

Ritsu felt himself thrill, relishing in his old senpai's increasingly heavy breathing. A new grin stirred in him as he recalled Takano coaching him on the basics of kissing when they'd first come together.

_Seems I got that lesson down._

Ritsu pressed softly smirking lips against Takano's as a new, growling moan escaped the other man.

Emboldened by this, Ritsu's hands traveled to release the rest of Takano's shirt buttons and then pulled the loose cloth from quivering shoulders. A moment later, these same hands shifted lower to embrace the warm muscles on Takano's bare back.

Feeling the heat in build his nether regions, Ritsu pulled Takano closer to him, nestling his thigh against his senpai's crotch.

"Do you want me?" Takano growled, unbuttoning Onodera's shirt to get better access to tempting collarbones. As soon as bare flesh was exposed, he began nibbling toward one of Ritsu's taut nipples. A gasp escaped Onodera and he surprised them both when he arched his back to offer his other bud as well. Takano laved this with his tongue, drawing it in and giving it a gentle bite between his teeth.

At Takano's attentions, a dozen electric sensations coursed through Ritsu's body. In a fit of pleasure, he reached down, cupping Takano's hardness in his palm and gave it a slight squeeze.

Takano bucked his hips up into the kneading hand. "Ugh! Damn... Stop, Ritsu! You're driving me crazy. I'm trying to take it slow here."

Ritsu looked up into fierce golden eyes, but his hand only hesitated a moment in its motions.

"Why?"

"You're always asking me to be gentle with you. I wanted… I wanted to be what _you _wanted tonight." Takano groaned through gritted teeth at Onodera's persistent touch. "But I can't help myself…"

"You don't have to… Don't hold back, Takano-san." Onodera pulled back, looking deeper into Takano's amazing eyes. In his anticipation, his breath was now coming in shuddering waves.

"You don't have to. I don't want you to. I want… _You_…"

With this permission, Takano shifted, rolling Ritsu up off him and onto his back. Large hands pushed away the flaps of unbuttoned shirt as he nuzzled down Onodera's heaving chest, across a deliciously flat expanse of stomach, towards the buckle on Ritsu's pants.

Takano's agile fingers joined his mouth and within moments, belt and pants were open. Seconds later, in one sweeping motion, Ritsu's pants were gone along with his boxers, Takano's prize for his patience fully exposed.

Onodera's cock was taut with heated blood and all but visibly throbbing, all Takano's for the taking.

"Takano-san!" Onodera cried out as his shaft was sucked into and then slowly pulled out of Takano's warm mouth, between teasing lips.

Takano's tongue slid from the slit of Ritsu's cockhead and around its crown before plunging it again into his mouth. This action drew a hissed curse from the man beneath him, making Onodera throw his head back into the pillows and thread grasping fingers through raven hair.

Spurred on by the hips rutting up to meet his mouth, Takano's head bobbed up and down, slicking Ritsu's length with saliva and precum. However he didn't stop his ministrations, even when his jaw grew tired, exchanging lips for palm, stroking the firmness in his grip as he knelt between Onodera's knees.

Crouched here, Takano pulled his lover's narrow hips up slightly higher to meet his mouth, so that he could lick and suck at each side of Onodera's velvety sac.

"Fuck! Takano-san! Nghh…" Onodera rasped out between gritted his teeth; his hands had released Takano's hair and now grabbed at the bed sheets.

With Ritsu's legs arched over his lean biceps, Takano dipped his head lower and flicked his tongue at the skin below his balls, as one of his hands continued to stroke the cock above. These combined attentions pushed Ritsu over the edge. His cum spurted forth in thick, fluid ribbons over his stomach, a few strands reaching as high as his chest.

Takano couldn't help but feel proud of the sex blush on Onodera's face and the fact this same blush had bloomed all the way down to his lover's tight chest, pinking the swell of Ritsu's pectorals. The sounds of Ritsu's heavy breaths and his shouted name still rang pleasantly in Takano's ears.

Reaching out to brush the bangs, now damp with sweat, which had once again fallen across Ritsu's forehead, Takano slid up between Ritsu's legs, kissed the uncreased brow before him, and whispered, "Ritsu, I love you."

Gathering some cum off Ritsu's chest, Takano wet a finger. His hand slipped down and his slicked finger slowly pressed into Ritsu's still-trembling hole.

Golden eyes intensely observed his lover's reactions: the younger man was biting his lip at the intrusion and his eyebrows were furrowed into a frown. But when Takano finally gained full entry and nudged his sweet spot, Onodera let out an "ahhh!" arching his back and crying out in rapture.

Soon Onodera was panting from the continued onslaught of Takano's skilled and persistent finger. His cock, barely recovered from its last release, rapidly filled again and started to leak anew.

Takano, terribly stirred by this sight, knew he had to take Ritsu quickly or embarrass himself by coming right there, untouched. After pulling his finger out, he quickly moved to open his pants. He was surprised when Ritsu's trembling fingers pushed his hands away to take over: as if he too could sense how close he was already.

While Onodera did this, Takano reached for the lube tucked away in the bedside drawer. Once his cock was revealed, he gathered a large dollop, slicking his erection and his fingers. Pushing a slippery finger once again into Onodera's heat, he loosened his lover's passage more to receive another. He twisted these from side to side, gently stroking to help ease the coming penetration.

Takano could feel Onodera lifting up and pushing himself against his fingers, his hand grabbing a hold of his forearm as it prepared him. Ritsu's other hand, less fierce, lifted up to caress his chest, thumbing a nipple.

The sensation made Takano stop and pull out his fingers.

"God, I can't wait anymore. I need you…"

Guiding his throbbing hardness into his Ritsu, Takano eased in slowly, lest he hurt his love. He shut his eyes as he concentrated, keeping himself from driving in too fast, the pleasure of the slick, heated tightness around his aching cock almost too much to bear.

_So hot_… _so fucking hot_!

Before long, Takano was in to the hilt. A shiver shook him when the skin of Ritsu's buzzing sac brushed against the coarse hair of his groin just above his cock. He paused, praying not to come right then and there.

"Are you ready for me, Love?"

With Ritsu's small grunt of acknowledgement, Takano pulled out shallowly and eased once again into his kouhai's warmth. Eyes open, he watched.

He leaned forward and his thumb lightly stroked over Onodera's cheek. He repeated the motion and bent down further to kiss lips pursed in discomfort as Ritsu continued to adjust. Takano's tongue ran along Ritsu's upper lip, begging for entrance, then dipping to lave inside when he opened.

"Ritsu, Ritsu…" Takano chanted once he broke off their kiss, grunting in his exertion as his pace quickened.

Down the hall a dog barked and outside, on the streets, a siren screamed, but inside 1201, its two occupants could hear nothing above the sounds of ragged breaths, cried names, and an occasional curse.

Onodera grasped a hold of Takano's biceps, and angled his hips up, his second climax fast approaching. Unexpectedly however, Takano suddenly rolled over, taking him along to lie against his chest.

"Noooo!"

Ritsu tightened his whole body at this shift in position; he shut his eyes in embarrassment as he felt the cool air of the apartment on the slick skin underneath his shirt.

"Shhhh…" Takano soothed. He knew that Ritsu generally felt even more self-conscious in this exposing position. Pulling his knees in, he slid his palms up Onodera's thighs, pleading, "_M__ove_ for me, Ritsu."

"Oh, god, Takano-san…" Onodera struggled to catch his breath: he had been on the brink when Takano moved them.

_So close! _He cursed, his frustration clearly written upon his face. _He knows I can't stop now_.

Biting his bottom lip, willing his blush to go away, Ritsu closed his eyes tighter and lifted up slowly. Stopping just before reaching the end of Takano's length, he paused and then painstakingly thrust downwards, impaling himself onto Takano's lap. He felt the brush of his balls with Takano's tight belly, his ass with the tops of Takano's muscular thighs.

Emerald eyes blinked open at the sound of Takano's enraptured moan.

"So tight… God, you're so _fucking_ tight!"

Onodera watched Takano's face, his eyes closed, fingers splayed on his riding hips.

Takano gave another exquisite moan as Ritsu repeated the motion. Realizing, for the first time, the power he really had in this position, Ritsu placed one hand on Takano's chest as he steadied himself, his mind drunk off of the sounds coming from his senpai's throat. He fixed his pace: slowly out and fast going in.

Feeling steady now, his hands shifted and fingers returned to Takano's hardened nubs. Ritsu rolled these between thumbs and forefingers, hypnotized by the bliss on the face below him, eyebrows furrowed, mouth agape with harsh breaths escaping in choppy pants. Onodera stifled his own whimpers as he felt himself slap against Takano's hot skin, he reeled with the heady pleasures: feelings of power and fullness.

"Ritsu, Ritsu…"

Takano released Onodera's hips and reached up, pulling him down for a kiss, his large hands grasped his ass cheeks to grind them over his fevered groin.

Onodera broke free of Takano's crushing kiss. Gasping for air, he settled his face in the crook of Takano's neck. He grabbed a fistful of ebony hair and pulled slightly to expose the dip behind Takano's ear. He licked the glistening sweat, the salt, a delicious taste in his mouth.

He sucked gently at that spot, the movement making Takano jerk his hips up to meet his own.

"Ah!"

The sensation of their collision brought forth an electric current that ran down to the very ends of all Ritsu's fingers and toes. He moved lower to Takano's pulse point and sucked a little harder at the skin there. His fingertips massaged circles into Takano's dark, sweat-slick scalp.

Takano could hold back no longer. Bracing one arm around Onodera's lower back and the other over his shoulder, Takano pulled him down as his hips pulsed rapidly upwards with quick, shallow thrusts.

"Mhmm… No! Wait..." Onodera pulled up from this embrace and leaned back, putting a hand on one of Takano's knees. With his other hand he held his balls and his cock to keep them from bouncing as he gyrated his hips back and forth, eliciting a series of pleasured grunts from Takano.

Ritsu's open shirt fluttered with his movements.

"Oh, you feel so…

"Don't stop," Takano growled deep, his breaths hitching in short gasps. Moving faster and faster, in a lovely sway, Onodera could feel Takano's thighs begin to harden beneath him.

"Takano-saaan!"

"Come for me, Ritsu! Oh, I'm so close... So close…"

Takano pushed Ritsu's covering hand out of the way and seized his rider's manhood, stroking it in time with his own resumed movements. A few rapid flicks of a pumping fist and Ritsu came undone onto Takano's chest. As his passage spasmed around his senpai's member, Takano let out a keening cry and pushed upward with his legs, hoping to burrow deeper, his hardness twitching as it released into the surrounding warmth.

Catching Onodera by the arms as he collapsed after his orgasm, Takano cradled the exhausted man into him, showering him with panted kisses anywhere that his lips reached murmuring in between these.

"I love you…I love you…I love you…"

Held to Takano's chest, Onodera reached up and pushed raven bangs away from Takano's awestruck eyes. He wiped back the sweat and stretched up to kiss the face of his first love. Lowering his lips then onto the opened mouth before him, Ritsu dipped his tongue to lick at salty lips, before he allowed his own to be seized in a loving oral embrace.

Foreheads touching, they caught their breath, neither wanting to let go of the other. But as their sweat and seed cooled, both became increasingly conscious that their bodies were sticky, coated with their spend.

Takano reluctantly extracted himself to grab two hot washcloths from the bathroom. When he returned he roused a very sleepy Ritsu only long enough for them to both take off the rest of their clothing and wipe each other clean before they returned to lie on their sides.

Takano spooned his kouhai's back as they settled under the covers. Then he stretched out a long arm over Ritsu. He reached over and clicked off the small light, wrapping them together in darkness.

Twining Ritsu's fingers within his own, Takano whispered, "You were fucking _amazing_. I love you, Onodera Ritsu. I love you."

He kissed the wet tendrils on Ritsu's neck, without waiting for a reply, assuming Ritsu was already asleep. Takano tucked his forehead into the dark auburn hair before him. He closed his eyes and allowed his still ecstatic breathing to steady.

After few moments passed, Onodera's green eyes, heavy with sleep and contentment opened slightly.

Thinking that Takano has finally drifted off, he lifted the hand he still held in his to his lips, kissing the long fingers entwined with his own before whispering back, "I love you, too, Takano Masamune. I always have."

In the darkness Takano, just smiled and pulled Ritsu closer. _Good things come to those who wait_.

Fin.

**And there you have it: my first fanfiction story ever. ****I've always fantasized over a Seme Ritsu, but we all know that that's so OOC for him. So, this is my compromise. **

**I can never thank Cerberus Revised and The Black Flamingo 101 enough for lifting this story to the quality that you all of you have enjoyed. **

**Somebody's birthday is coming up. And it's not Ritsu's. Who up for some birthday smex? Leave me a review and let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy New Year, peeps! For any of you who still haven't read it, I have a sequel to Dinner at Takano's. : ) My birthday present to the birthday boy…. It's got cake in it…. Hope to see you there!**


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